Patsy Santa Maria Jr. indicted on witness intimidation charge

Thursday

Nov 21, 2013 at 6:00 AMNov 21, 2013 at 9:35 AM

By Gary V. Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — Patsy Santa Maria Jr., his girlfriend and a North Brookfield landscaper have been indicted on charges stemming from what prosecutors said was a plot to bribe a witness in Mr. Santa Maria's August trial on assault charges.

Mr. Santa Maria, Ashleigh vanGerven and Scott K. Johnson were each indicted by a Worcester County grand jury Monday on witness intimidation and conspiracy charges. They had previously been charged in Central District Court, where similar charges are still pending against Mr. Santa Maria's 70-year-old father, Patsy Santa Maria Sr.

The charges involve an alleged attempt to bribe a witness in the younger Mr. Santa Maria's Worcester Superior Court trial in August on aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery causing serious injury charges. The charges arose from what prosecutors said was the unprovoked beating of another man in 2011 at Pat's Service Center & Towing at 5 Shrewsbury St., a business owned by the elder Santa Maria.

The beating victim, James Sheedy, an employee of Curtis Plow, testified that he went to Pat's to pick up a check for his boss, Marc Curtis. The check was for work Curtis Plow had done on a tractor owned by Patsy Santa Maria Sr.

The indictments handed up Monday relate to an alleged attempt to get Mr. Curtis to testify at the August trial that he sent Mr. Sheedy to Pat's to forcibly collect his money. Prosecutors said he was offered up to $25,000 if he agreed to "tweak" his testimony and Patsy Santa Maria Jr. was acquitted.

The younger Mr. Santa Maria ended up pleading guilty Aug. 15 and was placed on probation with a suspended jail sentence. The guilty plea came the day after his father was charged in the alleged attempt to bribe Mr. Curtis, who was never called to the witness stand during the aborted trial.

Prosecutors said Mr. Curtis alerted authorities after being approached about altering his testimony.

According to the prosecution, Patsy Santa Maria Jr., 42, and Ms. vanGerven, a 28-year-old former New England Patriots cheerleader, had their landscaper, Mr. Johnson, approach Mr. Curtis and offer him cash in exchange for his favorable testimony. Mr. Santa Maria and Ms. vanGerven live at 15 Old Orchard Circle in Boylston.

Assistant District Attorney Daniel J. Bennett said during an earlier court hearing in the case that Ms. vanGerven sent a series of text messages, using code, to locate Mr. Curtis and eventually set up a meeting between him and the elder Mr. Santa Maria that was monitored by police.

The Santa Marias and Mr. Johnson, 45, of 100 Old East Brookfield Road, North Brookfield, decided at the last minute not to follow through with the alleged bribery plan, according to Mr. Bennett.

The elder Mr. Santa Maria filed a civil lawsuit against the city in September over the termination of his company's towing contract.